Joey Martin and Chris Culligan both return to the Cardiff Devils line-up for their Elite League ice hockey clashes with Nottingham Panthers and Dundee Stars this weekend.

Both Martin and Culligan missed Devils’ 3-2 home win against League leaders Belfast Giants because of illness, but both have been back skating in training this week and are expected to return for the trip to Nottingham.

Devils were also without a third import, Carl Hudson, for the outstanding victory against Giants and he will again be missing against Panthers and Stars.

Hudson, though, has had the plaster off his hand injury and is likely to be back in contention for the trip to Coventry on November 22.

Canadian Hudson has been able to skate regularly during his spell out injured and the only issue now is grip strength and he will work on that throughout next week.

The return of key import players Martin, Culligan and Hudson over the next week or so will be a massive boost for Devils, who underlined their strength in depth with that home success against Giants.

Devils have now beaten all of Elite League’s most powerful teams – Belfast, Sheffield, Nottingham, Braehead and Coventry – at home this season and head coach Andrew Lord is demanding individual and team improvements over the next few months.

Lord takes his team to Nottingham this Saturday (7pm) and Panthers will be without leading Canadian forward Nathan Robinson, who has left the club because his work permit has expired. He completed the second of two contract extensions and has now had to move on.

Robinson, 32, and his team-mates extended their winning run to eight by thrashing Sheffield Steelers 7-2 before suffering a surprise 5-3 defeat at rock bottom Edinburgh Capitals the next day.

His departure is a massive blow to Panthers, but head coach Corey Neilson is refusing to give up hope of bringing his star player back into the fold.

“Nathan is a great hockey player and has been a huge contributor,” says Neilson. “We’re thinking about what we want to do and he’s thinking about what he wants to do.

“A guy as good as him will have lots of opportunities. We respect that and we want him to be a Panther, but he has a lot of offers. He’ll see what works for him.”

Robinson has been a key player for Nottingham, having scored 19 points in as many games.

On Sunday, Devils are back at their Big Blue Tent home when former Devils players Chris Blight and Brad Plumton will be playing against them.

Blight and Plumton play for Dundee Stars, who make their first visit of the season to Cardiff.